Jareth's Payback
by Jade4
Summary: Jareth decides to pay a few of his listians back for all their trouble. . . How? Send them to a real haunted house! But before he knows it, he gets roped into staying as well. With eerie surroundings, danger lurking in the dark, will they survive? Or wil
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Jareth and any Laby references belong to the one and only Jim Henson. The house is  
some random house thought up by my warped imagination. The stair story at the begining was  
read from Ghostly guy's website. (don't know the url, sorry) Everything else, blame my over  
active imagination. Oh, and the listians in this. . . sorry? lol Don't kill me? They belong to  
themselves, I only toyed with their lives a little bit. . . okay a lot. But can you blame me? lol   
  
Thanks to my pushy muse Gemma and Kara for beta reading. Without their bossiness, this might  
never have been finished. So if you don't like it. . . blame them. Yeah, that's it. *g*  
  
Comment and I'll love you forever! ^_^   
***********  
Terms you might want to know. . .   
  
UGL - Underground Labyrinth, a list of friends with common interests that do what they can to  
torment Jareth to their capabilities. Usually referred to as the UGLies.   
  
DCME - Don't Call Me Easy! ; used by Essy when tormented with the nickname Easy'. A  
common happening.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Jareth's Payback ~  
  
  
Jareth watched his crystal with interest. Imagine a few of his listians wanting to camp in the  
Labyrinth. With a smile, he had the most evilly, wicked idea. Disappearing without a trace,  
Jareth left the comfort of his castle to have a bit of fun with the women of his life.   
  
"When I was home alone in my old house, I used to hear the front door open and close and then  
footsteps on the carpeting, but no one was there," Kara said, watching the fire closely as she  
spoke.   
  
Gemma shivered as Spidey's eyes grew wide. "Really?" they asked, glancing over their  
shoulders.   
  
Essy laughed at them, shaking her head. "You two would be scared of your own shadow," she  
stated, picking up a stick and toying with the flames.  
  
"And you wouldn't be?" Leelee asked, realizing just how dark the Labyrinth was at night.   
  
The crackling of the fire added to the eerie surroundings as they looked around, trying to make  
sense of all the shadows that seemed to creep up on them from nowhere. With all the stories that  
had been told, most of them were on edge already, waiting for the unexpected to happen.   
  
"My aunt heard my grandfather in her kitchen one morning," Jade said, pulling on her jacket.   
  
"How is that supposed to scare us?" Essy asked, brushing grass from her legs.  
  
"I wasn't trying to," Jade replied softly, watching the flames. "It was just odd is all."  
  
"How so?" Smut Queen asked, enjoying the topic of discussion and smiling as she watched Selah  
squirm.  
  
Jade glanced up. "It was the morning after he passed away," she replied softly. "I miss him."   
  
"No way," Gemma interjected. "It couldn't have been. Maybe she was just hearing things," she  
rationalized.  
  
"Yeah," Essy added. "Probably just a repressed memory at hearing about his death."  
  
Jade shook her head. "No. . . It was so late, we didn't get to call anyone that night. She  
couldn't have known," she replied. "She heard his walker and everything," Jade stated.  
  
"I don't want to hear any more," Selah squealed, covering her ears.   
  
"Selah, you wuss," SQ cackled. "Imagine the great Ziggy being reduced to a scaredy cat."  
  
"Leave her be," Jade said quietly.   
  
"So who's got another story?" Dee asked, her grin wide as she watched the others tense as the  
night progressed.   
  
"I heard about this house in Virginia that had been empty for a couple of years at the least. I  
remember reading about it somewhere. This kid couldn't walk up the stairs, they had to run every  
time, as though something was chasing them. Even when they tried to walk, because everyone's  
mother always yells, don't run in the house', they could only make it a few steps before running  
again," Kara started, glancing toward Selah who was sitting there humming quietly to herself with  
her hands over her ears.   
  
"I read that!" Jade said, a smile crossing her face. "If I remember it correctly, the thing kept  
grabbing ankles and tripping them on the stairs. Even chased them to the bathroom where they  
locked themselves in just so that they felt safe."  
  
Kara nodded, caught up in the story. "Yeah, but whatever it was remained even after the house  
burned down," she added.  
  
"What?" Christy asked, keeping her thoughts rational as always.   
  
"It survived a fire," Jade replied.   
  
"And continued haunting the family when they rebuilt," Kara continued. "One of the kids would  
sleep on the bathroom floor just to escape the uneasy feeling they got in their room. It just sort of  
snuck up on them, ready to strike. . ." she trailed off, seeing that she had their undivided attention.   
  
A sudden hush filled the air as their minds were a startled frenzy. The dark seemed to close in  
almost immediately, stifling their comfort. A soft breeze blew across the landscape, rustling their  
hair. Looking around carefully, they could have sworn they were being watched.  
  
"Boo!" a sudden shout and a burst of energy later sent the women screaming in fright. Jareth  
grinned at his results, much to his satisfaction most of them scattered into the darkness leaving a  
few still sitting there laughing at those who fled.   
  
"And just what are you doing?" Kara asked, trying to stifle her amusement.   
  
"Just a bit of fun," Jareth replied, crossing his arms across his chest. His gaze fell on Selah.   
"Why didn't she run with the others?" he scowled.   
  
"Because she's not been listening," Jade replied, smiling.   
  
"What the hell?!" SQ hollered, stalking back angrily. "What do you think you're doing Jareth?"   
  
"You bloody git!" Gemma screamed, anger flashing in her eyes. "I'll get you for this," she  
grumbled.  
  
"Promises, promises my little Gem," Jareth said, poking fun at her. Before he knew what  
happened, she'd pounced and knocked him to the ground. Though having her close to him was  
always a desire, he didn't really think it should be this way.   
  
Gemma punched him, hard as she could, as her anger got the better of her. Who would have  
thought that this small woman would beat the crap out of the Goblin King? A pair of hands  
grabbed her arms and pulled her reluctantly from her victim.   
  
"Okay Gemma, that's enough. Don't damage him too much," Spidey said casually, as she looked  
him over for any permanent damage.   
  
"Good work Gremlin," Essy piped up. "Hope you got him good for all of us."  
  
"You evil witches!" Jareth growled. "How dare you attack me?"  
  
"As if!" Jade bit back, then smiled. "Not all witches are evil."  
  
"Gah!" Jareth threw his hands in the air. Was there no end to their endless torture?  
  
"You deserved it, you bloody wanker!" Gemma bit back.   
  
"Come on Jareth, be a man!" Leelee giggled. "Being beat up by a woman isn't very manly  
though, is it?"   
  
Jareth glared at her, his mind turning over every last possible idea to make them pay for this.   
Nothing come to mind. His wretched listians were always making his life misery. If only he could  
put them through hell to make them see just how it felt. A grin crossed his face, and a chuckle fell  
from his lips. This would be too easy.  
  
"What are you grinning at?" Rita asked, looking over at Selah.   
  
"You'll soon find out, my dears," he said, his grin widening.   
  
Dee laughed. "Even the Sith Lord here was a bit flighty."  
  
"Shuddup," Essy remarked viciously.   
  
"Why? I think you'd crack under the pressure if you were in a real haunted environment," Paola  
added, having been quiet for most of the night.   
  
"Would not," Essy replied, clenching her teeth.   
  
Meghan and Rita couldn't help but laugh at the argument going on. Essy was sure to lose.   
  
"Is that so?" Jareth asked, staring back at Essy. "Care to make a wager, Clare?"   
  
"What kind of wager?" she asked, raising a brow at the possibilities.  
  
"Just a theory really," Jareth mused, a wicked smile crossing his thin lips.   
  
"Wait just a second here!" Kara exclaimed, knowing that only the worst was to come now.   
  
In a matter of moments, the group found themselves standing in the middle of an unknown house.   
A staircase wound up to the next level before disappearing out of sight. The hard wooden floors  
stretched as far as the eye could see.   
  
"Whoa," Leelee muttered, looking around slowly.   
  
"Where are we?" Spidey asked.   
  
"Haven't a clue," Dee added.  
  
"Jareth did this," Christy said, shaking her head. "But why?"  
  
"Because he's a bloody git!" Gemma answered, hoping he showed up so she could beat him up  
again.   
  
Glitter fell across the floor and a second later, Jareth stood there in all his glory. With a smug  
smile, he looked them over slowly, his arms across his chest. "I see you've all made it.   
Splendid," he said, taking a step to the right. "Now, for the weekend, I thought you'd like to  
spend your time together. You seem to enjoy talking endlessly no matter what."  
  
"Thought?" Leelee asked.  
  
"Decided is more like it!" Gemma bit out, running at him without hesitation.   
  
Jareth extended his arm, hand held out as if to halt. Gemma immediately stopped as though  
hitting an invisible wall. "That's better," he grinned.   
  
"Geez, Jareth, you should know better than that. Where's your manners?" Jade asked, helping  
Gemma back to her feet.   
  
"He doesn't have any," Dee stated thoughtfully.   
  
"You evil wench," Jareth seethed.  
  
"You know it!" she piped up, a wicked smile lighting her face.   
  
Jareth rolled his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake that woman. Her  
wickedness was unfathomable, but no matter. He was certain she'd break in this situation.   
Pacing back and forth, he waited until he had all their attention before proceeding.   
  
"Well?" SQ asked, her hands on her hips as though daring Jareth to make one wrong move. Her  
burgundy hair was accentuated in the soft light that surrounded them. Eying Jareth, she couldn't  
help but let a smile sneak out across her face. "Damn, Jareth. Why can't you warn us ahead of  
time before you do something stupid?"   
  
"I don't do stupid things, Lisa," he stated.  
  
"Ahem," Leelee cleared her throat. "Softball?"  
  
"Sleep over," Dee cackled.  
  
"Garage Sale," Selah added.   
  
"That was your fault," he glared back.  
  
"Just be thankful it didn't take, tights," Dee added with a grin. "Which reminds me, I have some  
more stuff for you."  
  
"Forget it!" he bit out quickly. "This weekend, I'll see what you're truly made of. This house, by  
all practical purposes, is supposedly haunted," he started.   
  
"Haunted?" Allie asked, glancing around to see if there was anything to see. Nope, all looked  
normal enough to her.   
  
"You're kidding, right? There's no such things as ghosts, Jareth." Gemma shot back, knowing  
that logic will win out over his ego any day.  
  
"No, there aren't," Christy agreed. "Spirits on the other hand are a different matter."  
  
"You're not helping," Gemma grumbled.  
  
"Shut up, Christy!" Essy bellowed from the stairs.   
  
"You staying too, Jareth?" Jade asked, glancing around.  
  
"Me? No, of course not," he stated with a smirk.  
  
"Chicken?" SQ added, laughing at the thought of Jareth running away and leaving a group of  
women behind.   
  
"NO!"   
  
"I think he is," Paola replied, straightening out her shirt.   
  
"Better be careful what you say, my little spanish peanut," he grinned wickedly back at her.   
  
"Oh give it a rest, Jareth," Leelee sighed. "We know you're yellow, so go on, run away."  
  
"You're not chicken, are you, dad?" Kara asked, looking up at him.   
  
Jareth knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He had no choice but to stay as  
well. He shuddered to think of what would happen in the next few days. He knew the history,  
and all the stories. If they were even remotely true, they were in for a treat.   
  
"I'm cold," Jade said, pulling her sweater around her.   
  
"You're always cold," Kara replied.   
  
"Yeah," Gemma added with a smile, looking to her right. "Hey J, why don't you be a nice guy  
for once in your life and light the fireplace?"   
  
"Any one of you evil women could light it," he replied, his tone threatening.  
  
"Yes, but it would take longer if we did it," Leelee stated.  
  
"Just do it, Jareth," Dee said, sticking her tongue out at Leelee. "Wench," she whispered.   
  
"Do or do not, there is not try!" Selah cut in, doing her best Yoda impression.   
  
"Do it yourselves. As you keep telling me constantly, you aren't helpless," Jareth answered,  
making his way toward the stair case. "I suggest you get some sleep while you still can. You're  
names are listed on doors. Do see to it that you find your way there," he mumbled, climbing the  
steps slowly.  
  
"Up yours," Leelee commented, moving toward the fireplace.   
  
"How hard can it be, you guys?" SQ asked, following Leelee.   
  
"Bad idea," Kara whispered.   
  
"I know," Jade replied, heading toward the stairs.   
  
"Let's light a fire," Gemma smiled, knackered by the events.   
  
"Stick Easy in there. Her anger could spontaneous combust. . . instant fire," Selah said seriously.  
  
"DCME!" Essy shouted, storming closer.   
  
"No thanks, dear. I have Obi for that," Selah snickered.   
  
"Get back, I'll light it," Christy opted, knowing that the others would argue far longer than what  
it would take to start the logs burning. Walking closer, she grabbed a box of matches from the  
mantle and kneeled down as she struck the match.   
  
A rustling was heard faintly and Christy took a step back. "Did you hear that?" she asked, her  
eyes watching the fireplace closely.   
  
"No, what is it?" SQ asked.  
  
"If I knew, do you think I'd have asked?" Christy replied. Peering into the darkness, she jumped  
back when dirt fell from above.   
  
As the rustling sound increased, the others gathered closer, wanting to know what was going on.   
As they stood there together, Jade and Kara stood on the stairs watching them and shaking their  
heads. All at once, an enormous explosion occurred, sending the listians falling backwards.   
  
"Holy shit!" Leelee exclaimed, hitting the ground instantly.  
  
Christy looked up in disbelief then screamed for all she was worth. She hated bats with a passion,  
and the thought of being surrounded by hundreds of bats didn't make her any happier. Covering  
her head with her arms, she could feel the air from their flight flowing across her body. If lighting  
a fire caused this, she never wanted to light another.   
  
As the rest of the listians fell to the ground, they covered their head against the foe. An endless  
stream of winged bats flew out through the fireplace and around the room with such force, there  
was no way the listians would be going anywhere anytime soon. Unless. . .  
  
"Jareth!" came the screams of those who were pinned down. The little beasts continued flying  
without a second thought.   
  
Minutes and many screams later, Jareth stood next to Kara on the stairs. With a wicked grin, he  
loved to see them tormented. He had thought of just turning around and walking away when  
Kara elbowed him in the chest as incentive.   
  
"Alright," he moaned. With a flick of his wrist, the bats disappeared back out the fireplace.   
"Happy now?" he mumbled "Get some sleep," he called down to them before walking away  
again.   
  
As the listians slowly got to their feet, they brushed the dirt from their clothing and looked around  
warily. Glancing toward the fireplace, they wondered if the bats would return again any time  
soon.   
  
"Let's get some sleep. I have a feeling we're going to need it," Spidey commented, still shivering  
slightly at what just happened.   
  
Walking toward the stairs, they ascended them one by one, still in a tight group. Essy kept trying  
to hurry Leelee along by pushing her, but that only resulted in Leelee tripping the Sith Lord.   
They didn't have the faintest idea what they would endure in the next couple of days.   
  
"How do we find the rooms?" Paola asked, yawning briefly.  
  
"Names are on the doors," Kara replied. "He's already told us that. He decided who sleeps  
where."  
  
"That insensitive, big-haired goofball," Leelee mumbled. "I hope he stuck me in a room with a  
good t.v. If I miss the next episode of Digimon, my path of destruction will be worse than  
Blackwargreymon's!" she grinned evilly  
  
"You're insane, wench," Dee shot back with a smile.  
  
"Will you two knock it off?" Christy asked, looking down the dark hallway.   
  
"Anyone got a flashlight?" Allie asked, thankful she wore her pentagram.  
  
"No, but you could try the lights," Jade smiled, flipping the switch and sending light through the  
darkness.   
  
Relieved, they slowly sought out their rooms. Ending up in three's, they said their goodnights  
and turned in for what they thought would be a good night's sleep.  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jade sat on her bed, talking softly with Kara as Gemma stretched out tiredly on another. They  
seemed completely unfazed by the idea of being there.   
  
As Gemma lay upon the bed, pulling the covers up over her body, she couldn't imagine living in a  
place like this for too long. As she fell asleep, her mind was a whirl wondering what would  
happen next. Though she always rationalized everything, she wondered if there would come a  
point where rationalization would not work?  
  
As tired as she was, Gemma felt as though she were being tickled, but paid it no mind. Jade and  
Kara were most likely just playing around. Ignoring the tickling, she fell asleep soundly.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Essy, Leelee and Spidey settled into their room; Essy fighting over which bed she got. Shoving  
Leelee off her bed, Essy jumped on it with a wicked grin. It was hers now.   
  
Leelee got up and glared at her. That soon withered as she decided it wasn't worth the effort.   
Climbing into the only available bed, she stretched out and put everything out of her mind.   
Glancing over at evil Essy, she grinned. If this was a haunted house, she hoped Essy would see  
her share of excitement.   
  
Spidey lay beneath her covers, with uncertainty. Pulling them up over her head, she felt a sense of  
security. Out of sight, out of mind. . . wasn't that how it went? Already shaken by the bat  
incident, she didn't want any more surprises. Damn Jareth for making her come to a place like  
this.   
  
Outside the door, laughter could be heard.   
  
"You're not funny, go away!" Essy bit out.   
  
The laughter continued.   
  
"Spidey, go see who's there?" Leelee asked, not moving from her spot.   
  
"Hell no! Send Essy. She claims to be the strong one," Spidey remarked from beneath her  
covers.   
  
"Weaklings," Essy said under her breath as she moved toward the door. Pulling it open, she was  
met with nothing. Shaking her head, she closed it again. "Nobody's there." Suddenly a bang on  
the door sent Essy like a shot across the room.   
  
"Some big bad Sith you are," Leelee remarked wickedly.   
  
Laughter from outside started in again. It grew louder until it was almost deafening.   
  
"Go away!" Spidey screamed, not daring to come out from her hiding place.   
  
Suddenly the laughter ceased. All was quiet. Essy and Leelee glanced at each other. Smiling,  
they decided that their combined evil must have banished whatever it was.   
  
"Fooled you," a voice whispered followed by laughing once again.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
SQ pulled back the covers to make sure there wasn't anything hiding in there. With a grin, she  
jumped into bed and pulled the covers up. Glancing at Dee, she laughed. "What are you doing?"  
she asked.   
  
Dee stared at the wall where her closet would be if she were home. "I miss my bottomless  
closet," she replied.   
  
"Really?" Allie inquired, not really missing much yet. She loved to get away from everything,  
though this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.   
  
"Yeah. . . hard to believe, isn't it?" Dee remarked, shaking her head with a smile.   
  
"Okay ladies, lets get some sleep," SQ stated. "Dee, get the lights."  
  
"Why me?" she asked, her hands on her hips.   
  
"Because you're the only one up you goof!" SQ laughed.  
  
Dee flipped the switch then headed back to her bed. As soon as she stretched out, the lights  
immediately came back on. "What the hell?" she cried out. "I just turned them off!"  
  
"Just turn them out again, this time make sure you have them off," Allie yawned.   
  
Dee got up and walked toward the switch. Darkness descended on the room once again as a  
comforting blanket that shut out the bad things.   
  
"Finally, thanks Dee," Allie stated.   
  
"Um. . .guys?" Dee said softly.  
  
"What?" SQ asked.  
  
"I didn't do that," she said nervously.  
  
"Pull the other leg, Dee. I'm in no mood for this," SQ shot back.  
  
"I'm right here!" Dee bit out, as she hit the end of the bed. "I wasn't even close!"  
  
"Well if you didn't do it. . ." Allie started. A hush filled the room.   
  
"Shit..." SQ remarked, knowing that they would have to sleep eventually.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Paola fell asleep quickly, her body tired from everything.   
  
Christy sat up, searching the space for any signs of bats. Horrid things that they were, she wasn't  
about to be surrounded by them again. Once she was certain there weren't any to bother her, she  
laid back, staring up at the ceiling, unsure of what she had just gotten herself into.   
  
Meghan watched the shadows play across the walls, slowly fading at first only to come back in  
full force. Her mind was a buzz with the possibilities of what they might encounter, but pushed  
them all aside as she tried to rest. It was relaxing here, far away from studies and the rush of life.   
  
A faint knock caught their attention.   
  
"Did you hear that?" Meghan asked, sitting up slowly.  
  
"Yes," Christy replied, sitting up and looking around. "Do you think the bats are back?" she  
asked.   
  
"No, they wouldn't be -"  
  
Another knock abruptly cut Meghan short. Without hesitation, the knocking started getting  
louder each time it happened. As their eyes looked across the room, they found nothing out of  
the ordinary, except a knock that seemed to come from nowhere.   
  
"Then what's that?" Christy asked, glancing at Paola who was still asleep.   
  
"I have no clue," Meghan replied.  
  
"Whatever it is, it's getting closer," Christy whispered, her eyes growing wide as she followed the  
sound of the infamous knock that seemed to be moving along the wall and heading straight for  
them.   
  
"I don't like this," Meghan remarked.  
  
As soon as it had begun the knocking stopped right before it reached Meghan's bed. The silence  
was more unnerving than the knocking, because now they wondered where it went.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"How is it that everyone else has three in their room, and it's just the two of us?" Mairead asked,  
turning the knob to the door.   
  
"My no know," Selah replied.   
  
"Gungan? Don't you ever get tired of that?" Mai smiled.   
  
"Nope!" Selah replied, a goofy grin crossing her face.   
  
"Figures," Mai laughed. "What are you doing?" she asked quickly, stopping short in her tracks.  
  
"Mesa didn't do anything," Selah replied immediately.   
  
"Not you," Mai stated, pointing into the room then continuing, "him!"  
  
Selah's eyes fell on who Mai was talking to and her jaw nearly hit the floor. "Jareth, you can't  
stay here!" she stated.  
  
"Why?" he retorted. "You have nothing I've not seen before, my dear," he grinned seductively.  
  
"Jareth, we're serious. What would the others think?" Mai remarked, shaking her head.   
  
"Well, let me put it this way. Do you really want to stay alone in this big, dark, haunted house?   
When you could have a strong, debonair man to protect you?" he asked, his voice smooth as silk.  
  
Ziggy and Mairead laughed. "Protect us?" they gasped.   
  
"Alright you two, knock it off and get some rest," he stated in a fatherly tone.   
  
"Not with you in here," Selah remarked.   
  
"I'm not leaving," he muttered darkly.   
  
"Then give us a little privacy, won't you?" Mairead remarked.  
  
In a manner of moments, they had a divider set up between him, and them. "Better?" he asked,  
settling in for the night.   
  
"It'll work," Selah replied.   
  
A light breeze blew through their room and gave Mairead the shivers. Not thinking too much  
about it, they made themselves ready for a nice rest.   
  
Ten minutes later, a sudden howl rang through their room and Selah shot up quickly, her eyes  
darting back and forth. "What the hell was that?!" she shrieked. "Sounded like a rabid dog."   
  
Again, another howl ripped through their room.   
  
"Get off of me!" Jareth howled, pushing at Selah.   
  
"Make it stop!" she replied harshly, shoving in closer to him. "You said you're the protector, so  
protect already!"  
  
"Dammit woman, have you no backbone?" he shot back.  
  
"Do something Jareth," Mairead added, standing beside them.  
  
"Oh alright," he conceded. Seconds later, he held his hand out to them.  
  
"Earplugs?!" Selah yelled. "How's earplugs going to help?"   
  
"If you can't hear it, you can't be bothered," he replied, shoving her off his bed and onto the  
floor.   
  
"Ow, that hurt!" she bit back.   
  
Mairead laughed.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, they woke up just as tired as they were the night before. Essy and Leelee  
rubbed their tired eyes and yanked the covers off Spidey to welcome the new day.   
***  
Jareth woke up to a pair of eyes staring back at him. Grimacing, this was going to be the longest  
weekend he'd ever experienced.  
***  
SQ, Dee, and Allie yawned as they woke up to the lights being on again. Without a word, they  
got up and readied themselves for the day.   
***  
Christy and Meghan curiously watched to see if Paola was going to wake up on time. With the  
knocking from last night giving them reasons to be weary of everything, they'd take up little  
things to keep them occupied until they could regroup with the others.   
  
Paola opened her eyes slowly, then shot up quickly. "What are you staring at me for?" she asked,  
looking down at herself to see if there was something wrong.   
  
"Nothing better to do," Meghan replied.  
***  
A gentle poke to the arm, and Jade wasn't happy. "Go away, I'll get up when I'm ready," she  
remarked without opening her eyes.   
  
"Stop that," Kara mumbled as the poking moved over to her.   
  
Gemma's scream sat Jade and Kara up instantly.   
  
"How did this happen?!" she shrieked, flipping the covers back to reveal a Victorian dress  
covering her body. "I hate bloody dresses!" she snarled. "Why? Did you think it fun?" she  
asked, looking to the other two.  
  
"We didn't do it," Kara replied, holding her hands up in front of her.   
  
"Someone bloody did it," Gemma remarked, getting to her feet.   
  
"They did," Jade remarked, without a second thought.   
  
"I don't want know," Gemma mumbled, moving across the room.  
~~~~~~~~  
Sitting at the table, eating their breakfast, the listians exchanged stories of what happened the  
night before.   
  
Allie got up and walked into the kitchen to get the milk. Stopping cold in her tracks, she watched  
the cupboards open and shut repeatedly. Opening her mouth, no sound came as she stood there  
glued to the spot.   
  
"Allie, what's taking so long?" SQ called out, as she headed toward the kitchen. As soon as the  
door swung open, the cupboards slammed shut. They didn't move an inch. "Allie?"  
  
"Did you see any of that?" she asked softly, a smile slowly crossing her face. She'd always  
wanted to see stuff like this but never had the opportunity.   
  
"No," SQ replied softly. "Are you alright?"   
  
"Yeah, I'll be there in a second," Allie remarked, walking to the refrigerator and retrieving the  
milk.   
  
SQ walked back out, feeling as though she had helped somehow.   
  
Silently, a drawer slowly slid open as Allie went about her business. Putting the milk back, she  
shut the door and turned around to see a knife tediously rising from it's resting place. Her eyes  
grew wide as she watched it turn around sluggishly until the point was pointing toward her.   
Without a hesitation, she bolted, the knife lunging forward trying to connect with her tender flesh.   
  
Flying out the door, Allie heard a thud behind her as the knife hit the door. Reaching the table,  
she gasped for breath, unsure if she was just imagining it all or what.   
  
"What's wrong, Allie?" Leelee asked immediately.   
  
"The kitchen. . . a knife. . ." Allie gasped, trying to make sense of it all.   
  
"What?" Jareth asked, getting to his feet.   
  
"Go to the kitchen and see for yourself!" she bit out, hoping that she wasn't just imagining things.   
  
Jareth walked into the kitchen with Allie standing there watching him go. When he returned, she  
couldn't believe it. Had nothing bothered him at all? Was she to be the only one tortured?   
  
"Looked fine to me, Allie, perhaps you need to get some rest," he said soothingly.   
  
"I'm not crazy!" she bit out, running back to the kitchen. The knife was nowhere to be seen,  
everything in it's place. Shaking her head, she didn't' understand any of this.  
  
"Come on, I want to look around," Jade said, getting to her feet.   
  
"Me too," Kara stated.   
  
"Are you two insane?" Selah asked, her eyes growing wide.   
  
"No, not last time I checked," Jade replied, and Kara smiled.   
  
"You know what's out there, right?" Christy asked.  
  
"Basically," Kara stated.   
  
"And you're still wanting to look around?" Leelee asked.  
  
"Why not?" Jade asked.  
  
"Give up you guys, she's as stubborn as they come," Selah shook her head.   
  
"And so is Kara, I'm afraid," Jareth threw in.   
  
"Let them go," Gemma waved her hand casually. "They'll be safer than we will. I woke up in a  
bleeding dress, and they were fine."  
  
"A dress?" Essy snickered.   
  
"Shut up Easy," Gemma shot back.   
  
"DCME Gremlin!"   
  
"You wish," Gemma shot back wickedly.  
  
"Here we go again," Jareth muttered, dropping his head into his hands. "Why can't they just be  
normal? Normal listians, is that too much to ask?" he mumbled to himself.   
  
"You'd get bored if we were, tights," Dee grinned, elbowing him.   
  
"Yeah, we're the best of the best!" Paola added cheerfully.  
  
Jareth glanced up and shook his head. They were right, as usual. But did he have to tell them  
that? No, their ego was big enough, he didn't need to help it along any. With a sigh, he  
wondered what would happen today and to whom.   
  
"What's eating you, Jareth?" Meghan asked, studying him curiously. "You seem awful down."  
  
"Nothing," he replied, looking back at her. "Just make sure you are all still alive by this evening."  
  
"Is that a threat?" Dee asked.   
  
"No," he answered. "Would be a pity to lose any of you to them."  
  
"Oh give me a break. There are no "them". Only us, Jareth," Gemma bit out.  
  
"We'll see," he stated, walking toward the door. "Do stay together. Safer that way."  
  
"What was that all about?" Christy asked, watching him leave.  
  
"He's just trying to scare us, is all," Leelee remarked, pulling her long hair back and fastening it  
up out of her face.   
  
"He's doing a good job of it," Meghan replied.  
  
"Come on, are we going to let Jade and Kara show us up? Let's explore this place, maybe catch  
them off guard, scare em a bit?" Essy said, rubbing her hands together. It would give her nothing  
but pleasure to scare them silly. She was Sith after all.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hours later, no sign of Jade and Kara, the listians were getting tired. It seemed as though they  
had been walking forever and not getting anywhere. Soon they had broken up into smaller  
groups, bored with trying to keep everyone from arguing and fidgeting from their own  
nervousness.   
  
"What'cha thinks in here?" Paola asked, turning the knob with curiosity.   
  
"I don't think we really want to know, do you Mai?" Selah asked, shaking her head.  
  
"You might be surprised what we find," Allie added, walking up behind Paola.   
  
As the door swung open, an eerie feeling descended upon each and every one of them, as though  
they were someplace they didn't want to be. Their footsteps echoed off the wooden floors,  
adding to the glum surroundings. Pictures hung on all the walls, and a fire burned curiously in the  
fireplace.   
  
"Whoa," Meghan said, looking around the room.  
  
"This is cool!" Paola exclaimed, walking over and looking at some of the painting that hung  
against the far wall. "Do you guys think-"  
  
Her voice was cut off as the wall swung around, revealing a hidden room for a brief moment  
before catching Paola and pushing her on the other side. The wall slammed shut as quickly as it  
had opened and the other listians stood there in shock.  
  
"Paola!" Christy yelled, running to the spot she disappeared. Pushing against the wall, it didn't  
budge. "Help me!" she called out to the others who soon joined her.   
***  
Paola pushed against the wall with no use. Giving up after minutes of wasting her energy, she  
turned around to see where she was. Her eyes grew wide and a scream escaped her lips. She was  
surrounded. Nothing could have prepared her for what she encountered here.   
  
She immediately spun around and beat her hands against the stone wall. Afraid of what was  
behind her, she only wanted out. A hand grasped her shoulder and she screamed loudly as she  
was spun back around and came face to face with the object of her fear.   
  
A grinning face stared back at her, cold and lifeless as it's bones creaked under the stress of  
holding her still. Paola shut her eyes to the grisly skeleton that held her against the wall.   
Screaming with all her might, she hadn't realized that there was more of them.   
  
More skeletons converged upon her in the blink of an eye, each reaching out with their bony  
fingers to catch a piece of her. As she screamed louder, the leader leaned in, his jaw dropping  
momentarily.   
  
"Scream all you like, lady. You'll not escape me," a voice stated as a breath fell across her face.   
  
All at once, she was alone. The dark room crushing her as she realized she needed to get out.   
Once again concentrating on the wall, she pushed with all her might, and it slid open to show the  
other listians waiting for her on the other side.   
  
"What happened?" Meghan asked, seeing the scared look Paola had.   
  
"I want out of here," she muttered, pushing past them and running to the door without looking  
back with the others following close behind.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"This place isn't so bad," SQ said, looking across the walls as they continued along the hallway.   
Peeking into different rooms every so often as the group moved along, Lisa couldn't imagine  
having such a huge place. Cleaning this large house would be something she'd not want to tackle.   
It was bad enough picking up after Jesse, let alone so many other rooms to add on.   
  
As the group moved further away, SQ was still peeking in rooms to see what she could see.   
Walking past yet another room that seemed to be empty, she heard a scratching sound. Stopping  
abruptly, she slowly turned around and walked the few paces back to the door. Holding her  
breath, she looked into the dark room, trying to make out any distinct shapes when she heard the  
striking of a match.   
  
A flame moved across the room with sheer elegance as it finally came to rest against the wick of a  
candle. An eerie golden glow illuminated the dark room, showing more than what she wanted to  
see. A man stood at the window, his eyes affixed to the outside world. His physique was perfect.   
His broad shoulders giving just the faintest hint of muscles as her eyes followed the line of his  
body taking in every last detail.   
  
She gasped as the man began to turn around, fixing his gaze on her. His dark eyes burning back  
at her as leaned against the wall. Raising a hand, he rubbed his chin and cocked his head to one  
side to look her up and down. A smile crossed his rugged face as he extended his hand toward  
her.   
  
SQ didn't know what she was doing. Her feet moved beneath her, walking closer to him. Her  
heart pounded in her chest from the sudden anxiety as she came within a few feet of him. SQ  
reached out a hand to meet his, only to have it pass right through.   
  
Her eyes widened in terror as the handsome man altered. She took a step back, as he bent down  
toward the floor, his back rising and falling as he took on the new shape. His face distorted into  
one of the most hideous looking creatures one could only imagine in a horror film. Screaming as  
she backed up slowly, SQ was repulsed as the creature's drool streamed to the floor, pooling at  
it's feet.   
  
"Oh shit," she breathed softly, watching the beast stand upright in front of her.   
  
A loud growl sent SQ running in terror, flying from the room in the hopes of catching up with the  
others before the beast could catch her. She could hear it running behind her as her screams  
echoed off the walls.   
  
Suddenly without warning, a push from behind sent her tumbling to the ground. Rolling over  
quickly, she moved just in time to avoid the creature's pounce. On her feet again, she ran with all  
her might trying to get away. A moment later it had her. Pushing her against the wall harshly, the  
creature's breath fell across her ear. Screaming again, her body buckled from her fear, sliding  
down the wall. Shaking violently, she kept her eyes clenched tight, not wanting to see what  
would happen next.   
  
"Lisa?" a voice called softly.   
  
SQ didn't respond. A hand on her shoulder caused her to scream again, jumping in fright.   
Throwing her hands in front of her face, she tried desperately to get away.  
  
"Lisa, it's us!" Kara said, grabbing her arm.  
  
"Snap out of it," Jade added, holding onto the other arm.  
  
SQ stopped and looked back at them, fear written in her eyes. She couldn't say a word, she was  
just relieved that she was safe and sound. Thankfully she wasn't alone anymore. That crack  
Jareth made about living until tonight, took on new meaning for her in that moment.   
  
"Are you alright?" Jade asked.  
  
"Yeah," she answered, almost uncertain.   
  
"Good, lets go," Kara stated, as they helped her to her feet.   
~~~~~~~~~  
"Where did Weber go?" Leelee asked, glancing behind them.   
  
"I'm right here," Dee cackled until she caught the death look from Leelee. "I don't know," she  
replied, shrugging her shoulders.   
  
"Come on guys, lets have an iccle bit of fun," Gemma smiled.  
  
"Like what, Germ? If you haven't forgotten, we're stuck here. . . wherever here is," Essy replied,  
walking through a doorway. "Of all the luck. . ."   
  
"What?" Leelee asked, stepping through after her. "How did we end up back here?"   
  
"Lets see if there are any goodies in here," Gemma remarked, walking toward the kitchen and  
returning a few moments later. "Cider, Essy?"  
  
Essy took the bottle and grinned wickedly. "Shame I can't have a hamster death gulp'," she  
remarked, sitting down at the table.   
  
"I need food," Dee mentioned, walking away.  
  
"Wait up Dee," Leelee called out, following her.   
  
"Hurry up, wench, I don't have all day. Well, actually, I do," she grinned wickedly.   
***  
A while later. . .  
  
"There was a time when I was sure, that you and I were truly one. That our future was forever,  
and would never come undone and we came so close to being close, and though you cared for  
me, there's distance in your eyes tonight as we're not meant to be. . .the love is gone. . . the love  
is gone. . .the sweetest dream that you have ever known. The love is gone..." a voice rang out,  
clear as a bell, serenading those around her.  
  
"Shut up!" SQ shouted, halting the singing almost immediately. "Why the hell did you guys walk  
off and leave me?" she asked angrily.  
  
"Hey, Smutty Smut Queen, where have you been?" Gemma smiled, lifting her beer into the air.   
  
"Don't smut queen me! You boneheads left me out there and I nearly got eaten by the ugliest  
thing I've ever seen!" she stated, her voice full of anger.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, Lisa. Really. I'll try to be more considerate next time," Essy said softly.   
  
"What the hell's gotten into you?" Leelee asked, amazed that Essy could be the least bit nice.   
  
"Oh nothing," she grinned, trying to get up and falling off her chair in the process.   
  
"Did you have a nice fall, Easy?" Leelee cackled.   
  
Essy sat up and grinned. "I'm fine dear. Thank you for asking." Getting to her feet, she skipped  
out the door humming As The World Falls Down'.  
  
"Well I'll be. Is she always like this when she's drunk?" SQ asked, her anger subsiding.   
  
"I wouldn't have thought so. She's evil to the bone, and now she's sickeningly sweet. What was  
in that Cider?" Spidey asked, picking it up and sniffing the contents. Grimacing at the smell, she  
set it back down again.  
  
"Let's go find the others," Kara said, heading toward the door.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"What's downstairs?" Selah asked, peering down the dark staircase.   
  
"Bats!" Christy bit back, not wanting to go through that again.   
  
"Come on, Christy, calm down. I don't think they'll bother us again so soon," Allie said, stepping  
on the first step.  
  
As they slowly descended the stairs, Mai felt something against her ankle. Glancing down, she  
didn't see a thing. Shrugging it off, she continued with the others only to have it happen again.   
"What's on the steps?" she asked, trying not to let her mind run away.   
  
"Nothing why?" Christy asked. All of a sudden she tripped. "Watch where you're walking,  
Paola," she muttered.   
  
"What? I'm not even close to you, Onna!" Paola bit back.  
  
Selah fell forward, her hand grasping the railing. "Something tripped me," she said, her eyes  
growing wide. Invisible fingers reached out and touched her ankle again, sending her screeching  
down the steps.   
  
"Zigs! Careful you don't fall, you klutz!" Mai called out. A chill brushed her ankle making her  
shiver until she felt fingers lightly wrapping themselves around her leg. "Let me go!" she  
shrieked.   
  
As if on cue, the other four woman felt the grasping of their ankles and screamed. Pulling free,  
they follows Selah who already stood at the bottom of the steps. Christy, Paola, Mai, and Allie  
his the ground floor swiftly. They turned to see Meghan still on the stairs, her feet pulled out  
from under her as she slowly was pulled upwards.   
  
"Meghan!" Mai shouted, starting back up the steps until Selah caught her arm. "Let me go! We  
have to help her!"   
  
"You go up there, and they'll get you too!" Selah shot back.   
  
"What are we going to do?" Christy asked.  
  
"I don't know," Selah replied, watching helplessly.   
  
Meghan screamed as she was drug fiercely back up the winding stairs. Her feet pulled along by  
an unseen force, her hands flew wildly trying to grasp anything to stop her ascension. Where  
were they taking her anyway?' she thought as her hand finally grasp the railing.   
  
A sudden jerk pulled against her hold as the grip on her ankle tightened. Wicked laughter  
surrounded her as she held fast, hoping she wouldn't be pulled in two. Another jerk made her  
scream as they pulled her against her will. Holding onto the rail tightly, she felt her fingers  
slipping slowly. "NOOOO!" she screamed, as she came closer to letting go.   
  
Not being able to stand it any longer, Selah and Mai charged up the stairs after her, intent on  
bringing her back down. As they reached Meghan and clasped her arms, they were startled when  
she just fell as though the tormenter had just let go, but she wasn't safe yet.   
  
"Get her," a soft voice called, reaching out for Meghan once again.   
  
"Go!" Selah called to Mai, sending her down the steps. "Get up Meg!" she shouted, pulling with  
all her strength and getting her to her feet.   
  
Meghan was on her feet and running as the hands followed her every step. Her breaths were  
ragged as she ran down the staircase, her mind a wild frenzy. Why her?' she wondered, scared  
that it might catch up with her again and this time drag her away for good. With Selah pushing  
her harder, she reached the bottom and fell to her knees on the floor.  
  
"Are you alright, Meghan?" Paola asked, crouching down to look at her.   
  
Meghan tried to control her anxiety, the fight for her life had her gasping for breath.   
Apprehension filled her as she looked back toward the steps. They looked so peaceful now. One  
would never have thought such a thing could have happened. Glancing up at Selah, she smiled.   
"Thank you," she whispered softly.   
  
"No problem," Selah replied, pushing her dark hair from her face and smiling back. She didn't  
want to think of what could have happened.   
~~~~~~~~~~~  
Compelled to find Essy after her odd behavior, Spidey had left the group to search the nearby  
rooms. If she would have thought before hand, she wouldn't be out there now, but as it is, her  
mind was on finding her friend before something bad happened.   
  
"Where did she get off too?" Spidey asked, looking both ways down the hallway. When there  
was no sign of Essy, she moved on to the row of doors. Pulling one open slowly, she peered  
inside to the darkness. No sign of Essy, she moved on, pulling the door closed behind her.   
  
Taking a few steps, Spidey stopped abruptly as she heard the creaking of hinges from the door  
behind. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned around, her blue eyes wide with  
terror. The door still moved slowly open, a fog spilling out into the hallway.  
  
Spidey couldn't move. Her eyes watched the fog as it moved gracefully across the floor. Closer  
and closer it came, yet still she lacked the strength to break free from the hypnotic movements.   
As it slowly took shape, Spidey backed up, hitting the wall with a thud.   
  
Elegantly the mist moved, shaping legs, arms, torso, until finally a pair of green eyes stared back  
at her. Sweeping it's gaze through the hall, thin lips turned into a smile slowly, delicately as  
though savoring the moment. Returning the gaze back to Spidey, the green eyes sparkled with  
intent.   
  
"Come here," a voice echoed through the hall.   
  
Spidey slid away along the wall, not wanting to get any closer. The voice chilled her to the bone,  
and she wanted to scream when she saw him step closer. Yes, it was definitely a him'. Her eyes  
took in his appearance, down to the last stitch that scantily clothed his body.   
  
"Like what you see?" he asked, his voice playing with her. Turning around to give her the benefit  
of all angles, he faced her again, stopping to look directly at her.   
  
Spidey was flabbergasted, glued to the spot she stood almost as though in a trance. Mesmerized  
by the handsome apparition that now stood merely inches away, she was in awe of the flawless  
movement. A sudden chill invaded her senses as a soft touch met her chin.  
  
Unexpectedly, she was forced down to bow in front of him by an unsurmountable weight. On her  
knees, she glanced up briefly to see those same green eyes staring back. "What do you want?"  
she cried out, feeling as though her world was coming to a crashing halt.  
  
A devious chuckle bounced off the walls, his head falling back in laughter.   
  
Spidey tried to move and yet she couldn't. She was restrained, wanting nothing more than to be  
away from this wretched place. Grasped at the waist and shoulders, she dreaded to think of what  
would be next. Without warning, she was hoisted up before him like a puppet on it's strings.   
  
"Dance for me," he said, his eyes following her movements as his helpers moved her to and fro.   
Unable to control her own body, Spidey's eyes filled with tears. Why was he toying with her?   
Would her kill her next?  
  
He raised a hand to halt the promenading and took a step closer. "That's not what I had in mind,"  
he grinned evilly, reaching out his hands toward her.   
  
Spidey gasped. Her air supply had been cut off, slowly being asphyxiated and there wasn't a thing  
she could do about it. Why did she leave the others in search of Essy? How could she have been  
so stupid to have gotten into this mess?   
  
His hands squeezed tighter, sucking the life out of her with every second. Though she held on as  
tenaciously as any human, it would only be a matter of time before he could have her forever.   
"Such a lovely," he murmured softly, staring into her blue eyes. "Very lovely indeed."  
  
As her breath slowly drained from her body, she heard the sounds of bells. What an odd thing to  
hear. Not feeling his hands upon her throat anymore, she fell backwards to land on the floor.   
Sweet agony; nothing seemed to phase her at this last moment.   
  
A gentle voice beckoned to her, soft and soothing. She couldn't be bothered to wonder where  
the voice was coming from. The coolness of the floor numbed her body as she slowly faded. A  
hand, such a soft hand grasping her arm and pulling her up. Her eyes, unfocused, stared blankly  
back.   
  
"Trace?" Gemma said, her voice soft as she glanced around the foreboding area. Not a good  
place to be. Her skin crawled just from the shadows that danced across the walls. Turning her  
attention back to Spidey, Gemma tapped her cheek lightly, trying to shake her out of this  
disoriented state she was in.   
  
"What the-?" Spidey blinked, shaking herself free from Gemma. Her eyes darted around,  
checking every nook and cranny, every last space for some sign of him. "Where is he?" she  
asked, her voice meek.   
  
"Who?" Gemma asked, looking around. "There's nobody here Trace."  
  
Spidey looked back at Gemma, her body shaking at how close she'd been. She opened her  
mouth, but no words came. How could she tell Gemma that she was knocking at death's door?   
Pulling herself together, she finally found her voice. "You came looking for me?" she asked,  
trying to keep her voice free from the terror she felt only moments before.   
  
"Jade told me to find you," Gemma replied. "Kara said you'd be here."  
  
"How?" Spidey asked.  
  
"I don't know. I've learned not to question them," Gemma smiled.   
  
Spidey leaned against the wall, a sigh of relief falling from her lips. "Thank Bowie you weren't  
two seconds later," she stated seriously.  
  
"Come on, let's get back," Gemma mentioned, helping Spidey to her feet. "Did you find Essy?"  
she asked, glancing down the way she came.   
  
"No," Spidey replied.   
  
"La la lalalalaaaa," came singing from the hall.   
  
Gemma and Spidey looked up to meet the shock of their lives. Here came Essy, skipping down  
the hallway in a frilly pink dress. Lace detailing the delicate satin, her smile radiated from within  
as her twin ponytails bobbed along to her motions.   
  
"Come on, baby, we're late," Essy spoke to the Raggedy Ann doll in her arms. Skipping past  
them without a care in the world, Essy continued along her merry way, with two pairs of curious  
eyes following her until she disappeared from sight.   
  
"What the hell was that?" Gemma asked, what she just saw not registering.  
  
Spidey stared in shock. "Essy?" she questioned. "In pink?"  
  
Gemma laughed. "She hates pink!" she cackled.   
  
"And we lost her again," Spidey commented.   
  
"She's in no danger, lets find the others," Gemma mentioned, moving down the hall.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	3. Chapter 3

Later that evening. . .  
  
"I'm tired," Kara yawned.   
  
"Me too," Jade whispered.   
  
"How can you think of sleeping when we're in the middle of a horror film?" Meghan asked,  
stunned that anyone could sleep in the current surroundings.   
  
"That's easy. Tired. . .sleep," Jade smiled.   
  
"I'm going to take a shower real quick tonight. I can't be arsed to bother with it tomorrow,"  
Gemma mumbled, walking toward the stairs. "Oh and if you see Easy out skipping. . ." she  
began, a smile broadening on her face, "take a picture. Perfect blackmail material."  
  
"How come?" Selah asked, ready to take down the Sith.   
  
"Just wait," Spidey laughed.   
  
"Has anyone seen Jareth since this morning?" Mai asked.  
  
"Nope," Dee replied. "Fancy pants must have gotten scared and ran away."  
  
"I did nothing of the sort," a voice cut through.   
  
"Where did you come from?" Allie asked.  
  
"I'm not walking down the stairs after that last mishap," he stated arrogantly, watching a few of  
his listians walking up them as he spoke. "Are they insane?"   
  
"No, she's just related to you, is all," Leelee shot back. "That's enough to make anyone crazy."  
  
"You should all turn in for the night. Get some rest if you can," he smiled, holding a crystal in his  
hand. Moments later, the listians had talked him into transporting them to their rooms, just so  
they didn't have to bother with the stairs.   
  
Spidey and Leelee walked into what they thought was their room. Somehow it had changed and  
sitting in the middle of it all was Essy, pigtails and all. With a wide grin she held up Raggedy Ann  
and a tea cup.   
  
"She's a pod person from the planet Mars!" Leelee screamed. "Where's Scooby when you need  
him? Alien invaders and nobody to help."  
  
"I don't know what's gotten into her," Spidey shook her head and walked toward her bed.   
Looking at the pink walls, she wondered why Essy would go through all the trouble?   
  
"Nightie Night!" Essy chirped, jumping into bed and pulling the covers up. Suddenly she sat up,  
staring at Leelee. "Tell me a story?" she asked.   
  
"What?" Leelee asked, not sure if she heard correctly.  
  
"Tell me a story. . .please?" she pouted.   
  
"That's what I thought you said," Leelee replied, looking to Spidey for help.  
  
"Don't look at me. She asked you," Spidey laughed, pointing back at her.   
  
"Essy, I don't think you really want a story now, do you?" Leelee asked, just wanting to sleep for  
a while.  
  
"Pleeeeaaaaassssssseeeeee?" she whined, like a little kid.   
  
"Alright. . .alright," Leelee held her hands up. "Just stop whining."  
  
Essy giggled and laid back. "A funny one," she said, waiting patiently.   
  
Leelee sighed and started telling the story of Jareth, the cookie monster.  
~~~~~  
  
Paola, Christy and Meghan settled in for the night. Though the knocking was back, they ignored  
it; too tired to be scared of it.   
  
As the light went out, Paola snuggled in her covers and quickly fell asleep. Christy and Meghan  
talked briefly before the knocking moved closer. As their eyes followed the knocking, they were  
soon watching someone rise from the floor at the foot of Christy's bed.   
  
The long, flowing blonde hair gave the appearance of innocence, and yet there was something  
wicked about this apparition. As it moved timelessly across the floor toward Christy, neither one  
of them moved an inch.   
  
Closer it came, moving slowly along the bed, the dark eyes staring at Christy intently. A thin  
white hand reached out for her and Christy backed away toward the headboard. Her eyes wide,  
she had nowhere else to go.   
  
Coming within inches of Christy, the apparition stared deep into her eyes as though it knew her  
from a long time ago. Smiling, it remained there, keeping Christy pinned to the spot.   
  
Meghan watched quietly, not knowing how the spechtre would react to her presence. Staying as  
still as she could, she could see that Christy was not at all amused by this. The light it gave off  
was astounding.   
  
Paola rolled over and opened an eye. "Will you quit playing around, onna, and turn the light out,"  
she stated, waving a hand carelessly toward Christy.   
  
In an instant it was gone.   
~~~~~~~~~~~  
SQ pulled her covers up, sinking into the softness of the bed. She didn't know what to expect  
next, and at that moment she didn't really care. If the light stayed on again tonight, she was  
bound determined to sleep no matter what.   
  
Dee sat on her bed and stared at the light switch. She wanted to see it move. So far today,  
almost everyone had an encounter of some sort, except her. She felt left out. Crossing her arms,  
she sat there waiting. . . and waiting. . .  
  
Allie got up and walked toward the light switch.  
  
"NO!" Dee yelled, jumping up quickly.  
  
"Come on, Dee, its been almost half an hour. I'm tired!" Allie bit back.  
  
"But I wanna see it," Dee whined.   
  
The lights went out.   
  
"Damn, I missed it!" Dee complained, walking back to her bed in the dark. Crawling beneath her  
covers, she sighed softly and tried to sleep.  
  
A clinking sound awoke Dee, her eyes slowly opening. Not sure what it was, she tried to get up,  
but for some reason, she was unable to move. Then reality set in as she felt strong fingers  
gripping her arms as large hands held her down.   
  
"What the-" was all she uttered before her mouth was clasped shut. Her eyes searched the  
darkness for her attacker and yet found none. The darkness played her a fool, concealing  
everything until the last possible moment, just when her mind was crying out for help.   
  
A single glance held a thousand words as she stared into a pair of cold eyes. Her own eyes wide  
with fear, she tried to wiggle free but to no avail. Allie and SQ had no idea what was happening,  
so she was trapped to face this nightmare on her own.  
  
A hand slid up her leg from her ankle, making her fear grow more frenzied. What was going to  
happen? Did she even want to know? The next few moments moved too quickly for her as she  
was restrained without a single thought. Her mind had been wiped clean. Staring blankly at her  
foe, she watched in wonder as they turned their head to glance at Allie before she realized they  
weren't alone.   
  
A small light on her right side caught her attention and her eyes tried to pick up on what she saw.   
With a shock of fright, she watched helplessly as a knife made it's way closer to the sleeping form  
of Allie.   
  
A knock at the door startled her, drawing her eyes away from the knife. An instant later she  
could move again. Springing up from her bed, Dee ran to the door and swung it open quickly.   
Imagine her surprise at seeing Essy standing there in her pink pajamas, holding her teddy bear  
close.   
  
"Are you alright, Dee?" she asked, her little voice yawning from exhaustion.  
  
"Fine," Dee replied, staring back. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked, reaching out for  
the bear.   
  
"MINE!" Essy bit back, then smiled. "Nightie night!" she said with a short wave, then skipped  
gleefully down the hallway.   
  
Dee shut the door, a stunned look on her face. Leaning her back against the door, her eyes  
looked across the room to make sure everything was as it should be. When they fell on something  
out of the ordinary, she gasped. There was the knife, stuck in Allie's bed headboard.   
  
Walking slowly closer, she examined it closely without touching it. It missed Allie's head by a  
mere inch or two. Reaching out timidly for it, she jumped back when it quivered. As Allie  
stirred, Dee took a breath and snatched the knife from the headboard, hiding it behind her back.   
  
"What are you doing, Dee?" Allie asked, almost worried.   
  
"Nothing, just. . ." Dee looked around the room. "I miss my closet again."  
  
"Go to sleep, you wacko," Allie stated, rolling over and falling back asleep.   
  
Dee pulled the knife in front of her, studying it curiously. Deciding that it would be in her best  
interest to get rid of it, she walked to the window, threw open the shutters and tossed it out.   
With a sigh of relief, she crawled back in bed, but knew she wouldn't sleep after that.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, elsewhere. . .  
  
"Just be careful, okay?" Jade said.  
  
"Oh come on," Gemma laughed. "Nothing's going to get me," she replied, grabbing a towel and  
her dressing gown. "Nice of Jareth to bring some of our things here too," she grinned.  
  
"I hope you're right," Kara muttered.  
  
"Will you two stop with the ghost stuff? There are no ghosts," she shot back, before disappearing  
out the door.  
  
"Well, what she doesn't know, won't hurt her yet," Jade sighed.  
  
"Yeah, yet."  
  
Jade shivered. "Wonderful, just tell them to go away, I'd rather not freeze now."  
  
Kara shook her head. She could feel the change in temperature too, but it didn't seem to effect  
her as bad. "You're just too sensitive," she muttered. Looking around, she sighed. "Okay,  
where are you?" she asked.   
  
"Here," a soft voice replied.  
  
Kara felt a gentle touch upon her cheek, cool but soothing. She sighed again. "Why is it I can  
always feel your presence, yet never see you?" she inquired. A tickling on her cheek, she resisted  
the urge to rub her cheek to rid herself of the one thing that always accompanied an entity's  
touch.  
  
"Maybe you never ask," Jade replied, pulling her covers around her. Her breath curled as it fell  
from her lips, the air cool and crisp.  
  
"Maybe," Kara admitted.   
  
"You must be willing to see what is already there," the voice stated. "Some don't get the choice,  
however." the voice replied, as it took shape before them, staring back with his dark blue eyes.   
His soft chuckling fell through the room, hidden meaning beyond the words.   
  
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.  
  
"They pick on the ones that are easy to scare, Kara. It strengthens their power," Jade stated,  
leaning against the headboard.   
  
"Very good," he replied, then continued. "Also can't bother those who have their protectors," he  
stated seriously.   
  
"But that's not fair," Kara smiled, remembering George.  
  
"A real Laby moment," Jade grinned.  
  
They laughed, even in the company of a stranger.   
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Gemma started the water, the heat filling the room with steam. The wonderful sound of the water  
falling carelessly filled her senses, as she stepped into the tub, pulling the shower curtain closed  
behind her. As the water fell across her tired body, she let her head fall back, letting go of her  
exhaustion and focussing on better things. So much had happened in just two days, she didn't  
want to know what more was to come, but she was certain that she wouldn't be easily preyed  
upon as the others.   
  
The heat massaged her tired muscles as she started humming a tune. Filling the bathroom with  
music, she didn't have a care in the world. Surrounded by the warmth and continuous massaging  
of the water, she shivered involuntarily as cold fell across the back of her neck. Turning slowly,  
she sighed when she didn't see a thing.   
  
Returning to what she was doing, she applied shampoo to her hair, lathering it up nicely. Again,  
cold fell across the back of her neck, sending shivers coursing through her body. With a curious  
glance over her shoulder, she still saw nothing. Shaking it from her senses, she finished her  
shower and got out.  
  
With her dressing gown on, Gemma pulled a brush through her hair as she looked at the fogged  
over mirror. The silence was comforting, after all the stories that had been floating through the  
night air. All her friends claimed to have encounters, and yet she didn't see anything out of the  
ordinary except Essy. Perhaps they are all insane?' she thought to herself.   
  
Pulling the brush through her hair, she glanced up at the mirror once again. Gasping, she stepped  
back, not sure if her tired eyes were playing tricks on her or not. "I must be knackered," she  
muttered under her breath and shaking her head, then continuing, "I'm seeing things."   
  
A faint hum filled the air, distracting her for the moment. Her eyes slid shut, hoping that when  
she opened them again, everything would be back to normal. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw  
everything as it was before. With a sigh of relief, she stepped back up to the mirror.  
  
Raising a hand, she swiped the fog from the mirror, her eyes growing wide. Where her face  
should have been, someone else's was. His grey eyes stared back at Gemma with such worry as  
his lips moved, forming words that weren't audible. Gemma leaned closer, trying to hear but was  
met with silence.   
  
Suddenly the shower switched back on, drawing her attention as the heat began to fog up the  
small room again. Unable to see in front of her, she turned around to grasp the knob of the door  
only to find that it wouldn't turn. Keeping her fears under control, Gemma turned around slowly  
to see the face staring back at her with a wicked smile. Gemma gulped as fingers poked out  
through the mirror followed by a pair of hands.   
  
Backing up against the wall, Gemma gave a strangled cry as more and more of the body emerged  
slowly. As he finally stepped into the room, Gemma screamed, terror in her voice. A cool touch  
to her cheek sent her flying away from him, without a second's hesitation.   
  
"Don't you like me?" his voice cut through the air, sending shivers down her spine.   
  
"No," Gemma shook her head.  
  
"Oh? But I like you, Gemma," he grinned, turning to pursue her in the small room. "In fact, I  
want to love you, Gemma. It's been too long," his voice stated as his hands reached out for her  
once again.   
  
Gemma screamed and ducked, his hands not even getting close as she ran to the door. Beating  
her fists against it, she wanted nothing but to get out. Grasping the handle, she tugged with all  
her might in the hopes that it would just fly open, no such luck. She turned around just in time for  
him to catch her shoulders and slam her against the door. Gemma screamed bloody murder as she  
looked into his grinning face.  
***  
Mai heard screaming and had been looking for the source, only to come to a locked door.   
Something about this was just not right. Grabbing the knob, she left loose as soon as an eerie  
light fell across her back. Turning around, she noticed that the electric no longer was used, but  
torches lit her way. Feeling a bit nervous, she wondered what she was doing out here at this time  
of night until she heard Gemma yell no.  
  
"Gemma?" she called through the door, but no answer came. Instead she was met with the  
unwelcome sound of silence until a wind blew through the hallway and snuffed the torches, her  
only source of light. "Oh, this is not good," she muttered, feeling around in the dark for the door  
handle.   
  
"Ow," a voice growled. "You should watch where you put your hands young lady."  
  
Mai took a step back, not exactly knowing where the voice was coming from. Another scream  
from Gemma and she headed back toward the door only to stumble backwards and hit the  
opposite wall.   
  
"Manners, dear. You must remember your manners," the voice spoke again, gentler this time as a  
body materialized in front of her. Nodding toward the door, the woman smiled. "That's my boy  
in there, courting his missus."  
  
"That's my friend in there!" Mai bit back. "He's scaring her to death!"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," the woman spoke, a hand rising to tap a finger on her cheek in thought.   
"Either way, he wants her."  
  
"I won't let that happen!" Mai shot back, pushing off the wall and standing up to face the entity  
before her. Though she was petrified, she wouldn't stand by and watch one of her friends perish  
at the hands of evil when she could have saved them.   
  
"You have no say in the matter dear," the woman stated, standing between Mai and the door.   
"You'll have to get past me first," she snarled.   
***  
"Let me go!" Gemma screamed as a hand clasped around her wrist before pulling her closer into  
an embrace. Fighting him every step of the way, she soon found herself immobile with him staring  
back at her lewdly.   
***  
  
Mai rushed forward only to be pushed back once again, harder this time. Her eyes slammed shut  
and pain shot through her body. This woman wasn't playing fair, so she wouldn't either.   
Charging forward again, she saw the entity raise her hands and did the only thing she could think  
of. Mai slid along the floor right beneath her and hit the door with her foot.   
  
Jumping up, her hand grasped the knob. "Gemma!" she yelled, glancing over her shoulder to see  
the woman angry and advancing. Beating against the door, she felt the icy breath fall across her  
then suddenly nothing. The hall went quiet as the lights returned to normal.  
  
Mai blinked in surprise, half expecting it to be a mirage. Her hand turned the knob gingerly,  
pushing the door open slowly. Peering in, she didn't hear or see anything. "Gemma?" she said  
softly. All of a sudden she knocked to the ground by a shaking woman.   
  
Gemma held on tight, her head swinging around looking for any sign of the man. Her body  
shaking, she couldn't have talked if her life depended on it. Scared out of her mind, she tried to  
catch her breath, only then realizing she'd flattened Mairead beneath her.   
  
"Can I get up now?" Mai asked.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Is he gone?" she asked, softly and Mai nodded. Gemma gave a sigh of relief and  
slowly stood up. Extending her hand, she helped Mai to her feet. "Thanks," she said, a smile  
finally crossing her face.   
  
"You're welcome. Let's get back before anything else can happen," Mai said, walking down the  
hall the way she came with Gemma at her side.  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Selah, a bit uneasy when she realized Mai wasn't in her bed, snuck out of the room to look for  
her. Walking down the dark halls, she turned the corner and smacked right into Leelee, knocking  
her to the ground. With a laugh, she held out her hand to help Leelee back up. Before she  
realized it, Leelee pulled her down hard to land on the ground beside her.   
  
"What'd you go that for?" Selah asked, getting to her feet and dusting herself off.   
  
"You knocked me down first," Leelee laughed.   
  
"It was an accident," Selah responded. "Have you seen Mai?"   
  
"No. You seen Essy?" Leelee asked.   
  
"Nope," Selah replied.   
  
"What's going on in this place?" Leelee asked, not sure if she wanted to know.  
  
"My no know," Selah replied, walking down the hall again.   
  
Leelee got up and ran after her.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
Jareth opened an eye to see a shadow move across the wall. Opening the other eye, he realized it  
wasn't an ordinary shadow. The outline of a person was clearly visible as though they were  
watching his every move. Sitting up slowly, he watched it move further away, yet not far enough  
to suit his purposes.   
  
"Who's there?" his voice echoed off the walls. No reply came. "What do you want?" he asked,  
only to be met with soft giggles. Feeling his skin crawl, he wondered where Ziggy and Mairead  
ran off to and why they left him there alone without a word. "How rude," he muttered angrily.  
  
Getting up, he walked toward the door and noticed the shadow following close behind. . .   
unnerving him even more. "Get away from me!" he bit out.  
  
The shadow remained where it was as though mocking him.   
  
Jareth threw open the door angrily and walked out into the hall. Stomping down through the  
halls, he started beating on all the doors, rousing the listians from their sleep. "Get up! We're  
leaving!" he yelled, having enough of this haunted nonsense. He wanted to get away from that  
shadow.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Leelee and Selah walked into an open room that had mirrors on every wall. Turning around, they  
smiled at silence and elegant beauty of it all. Suddenly the door slammed shut, startling them back  
to reality. Looking around them, they had no clue where the door was now, since it too was  
concealed by a mirror.   
  
An image flew across a mirror and out of sight as they turned to see it. Feeling a bit nervous, they  
turned a circle, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was.   
  
"Did you see it?" Selah asked, searching the mirrors.  
  
"No, did you?" Leelee responded then her eyes widened in fear as she grabbed Ziggy's arm,  
swinging her around to see what she was seeing.   
  
"Holy shit!" Selah screamed, trying to pull from Leelee.  
  
"This isn't funny!" Leelee yelled, staring in horror at the smiling face that stared back at them.   
"God dammit!" she shrieked, running toward what she thought to be the door only to find a wall  
beneath the mirror. "Find the door!" she yelled to Selah who was still standing in the same spot,  
paralyzed with fear.   
  
"Want to play?" a voice called, from a painted red mouth. Two twinkling eyes stared back.   
  
"No!" Selah bit out, rushing to the other side of the room away from it. Luckily for her, there  
was the door. Pulling it open, she ran outside after calling to Leelee. A second later, the door  
slammed shut behind her, trapping Leelee in there alone with it.   
  
Selah pulled at the handle but it was of no use. Soon she became aware of the fact that she was  
no longer alone in the hallway. Turning slowly, she caught sight of beady little eyes staring back  
at her. Screaming, she ran down the hall with hundreds of kewpies hot on her heels.   
***  
Leelee stood in the center of the room, afraid to go near any of the mirrors, for now she was  
surrounded no by one, but twelve hideous creatures all with smiles painted across their faces.   
  
"Come on, chickee, let's have some fun," a voice called, jumping out and into the center of the  
room to grasp Leelee by the arm. Holding a balloon out to her, he cocked his head to one side,  
watching her with interest while motioning the others to join in the fun.   
  
Soon Leelee was surrounded by her own private circus that left her screaming at the top of her  
lungs. (I've heard her scream. . .Lisa is LOUD!)  
***  
"Get away from me, you little beasts!" Selah screamed, just before she stumbled forward and fell  
to the ground. In an instant, she was covered, little hands pinching and squeezing whatever they  
could.  
  
Selah screamed, thrashing her arms about in an attempt to knock the little beasts off her, but failed  
miserably as she was dragged off down the hall.   
***  
Leelee pulled as hard as she could, trying to escape the wearer of big pants. Clowns, one of her  
biggest fears, now here to torment her to death. She couldn't escape. It didn't matter how hard  
she tried, she couldn't get away.   
  
Laughter all around gave her goose bumps as they crowded closer. She felt as though she  
couldn't breathe, her body shaking from mortal fear. As they twirled her between them, she kept  
her eyes on the door. She knew exactly where it was, all she had to do was to get there and hope  
it opened.   
***  
Selah was tied fast to the wall, hundreds of eyes staring back at her. Her body ran cold out of  
sheer fear. She couldn't tell if she was breathing or not, just that her heart was thumping wildly in  
her chest and pounding in her ears. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm down, but just knowing  
they were there watching. . .staring. . .smiling, she couldn't.  
***  
  
"Where's Ziggy and Leelee?" Jade yawned, looking over the tired assembled listians.   
  
"I don't know," Mai replied. "I haven't seen her since I found Gemma."  
  
"Leelee just got up and walked out a while before Jareth came thumping on all the doors," Spidey  
offered.   
  
Essy laughed sweetly, making Jareth look at her. "What?" she asked innocently, a small smile on  
her face.   
  
"You seem different somehow," Jareth stated, staring at her.   
  
"What the-?" Spidey interjected, noticing something peculiar.   
  
"What is it?" Dee asked.  
  
"Her eyes are green," whispered Spidey.  
  
"Yeah, so?" SQ asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
  
"Her eyes are blue!" Gemma bit out, jumping at Essy and holding her there.   
  
"Possession," Jade stated, looking Essy over.  
  
"No wonder she's been so nice," Spidey cut in.   
  
"How can we tell for sure?" Christy asked.  
  
"Hey Easy, what's happening?" Jade asked, a grin on her face.   
  
"Nothing much. Gemma, would you be so kind as to let me go? You're hurting my arm a bit,"  
Essy replied, a sweet smile on her face.   
  
"There you have it," Kara laughed.   
  
"How do we get her back to normal?" Meghan asked.   
  
Jareth took care of the little problem and the next few minutes were filled with Essy's mad ravings  
about how she was going to chop off heads and fill her cupboards, starting with whoever's idea it  
was to make her wear pink.   
  
"So nice to have you back, Easy," Jade smiled.  
  
"DCME, Joyride!" she bit back.  
  
"Yeah, that's her alright," Dee laughed wickedly.   
  
"Now for the others," Jareth mentioned.  
***  
Selah screamed louder as the little hands tugged at her clothing. "Play?" a small voice called out.   
  
"No!" she squealed, as they attacked her again, swinging off her shirt and painting on her legs.   
***  
  
Leelee made a break for the door, grabbing the knob and pulling with all her might. She gasped  
as she saw one of the clowns pulling against her, holding her in. Screaming, she fell to floor and  
wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the evil that closed in on her by the second.   
***  
  
Leelee appeared instantly beside Selah, both in front of Jareth. When it finally registered what  
happened, they pounced him in gratitude.   
  
"Easy girls, you're alright," he muttered even though he was enjoying their attention. When they  
finally got off him, they demanded to go home. "You sure you don't want to stay a couple more  
nights?" he asked.  
  
"NO!" they all yelled, ready to get away from this awful place.   
  
Jareth laughed and conceded, sending them all back to their respective homes, safe and sound.   
  
Raising a crystal in his hand, Jareth peered at each of his listians. He was certain he'd pay for  
putting them through such a thing, but they deserved it. As the crystal focused on Essy, he  
laughed at her. He'd sent her home in the pink outfit, thinking she looked rather cute that way. 


End file.
